Page 18 of Mad As Hell

She snorted in disbelief. “Sure you are. That’s why you’re sitting on the floor in a towel with your coochie hanging out and snot on your face. That’s the definition of okay.”

Another laugh bubbled out of me, and I tried to adjust my legs so I wasn’t flashing her.

“Ready to get off the floor?” She kept the question light and airy so as not to pressure me, a fact I was grateful for. “I mean, I’m also good to hang out down here, but it’s a little chilly.”

I nodded and, with her help, got up. Once on my feet, I leaned my ass against the counter. I was utterly drained.

“How about if I grab you some clothes?’ Bex flashed me a smile and left me before I could answer. I heard her rummaging through my drawers before she came back with a soft flannel pair of bottoms and a t-shirt.

I dropped my towel and changed. At this point, my modesty was buried somewhere with my pride.

“We need… ice cream,” she decided. “I’ll raid the kitchen and grab all the carbs and sugar—”

“Don’t bother,” I cut her off in a tired voice. “There’s only water and rabbit snacks.”

“Huh?”

I gave her a self-deprecating smirk. “Gary thinks I need to go on a diet.”

Her jaw dropped open, and I used the momentary surprise to slip past her and go into my bedroom. My eyes were automatically drawn to the wrinkled spot where Ryan had been sitting.

I dragged my lower lip through my teeth as I shoved the image out of my head.

“What do you mean by diet? You’re, like, one of the most in-shape people I know.” Bex had found her voice and, damn, she sounded pissed.

I loved that she was so protective.

I grabbed my hair brush from the dresser and started ripping it through the mess. I really couldn’t bring myself to give a shit about split ends or whatever damage I might be doing. My scalp burned as I yanked on my hair.

Bex came up behind me and extracted the brush from my hand. “Sit and explain,” she ordered, pointing to the stool in front of my vanity.

I shuffled over to it and dropped down so Bex could brush my hair.

“It doesn’t matter,” I muttered, picking at a loose thread on my pants.

“Maddie—”

“What happened to you after those guys took me?” I twisted around to see her, but she simply glared at me before turning my head back around.

“They took me home,” she answered after I had done as she wanted. She gently worked on a knot, her soft touch not pulling at my scalp at all. “My parents were pissed. Well, Mom was pissed. Dad was drinking, but that’s nothing new.”

I stiffened. “I didn’t know your dad drank.”

“I don’t really talk about it. And it’s only when he’s home. He and my mom hate each other. Like, sleep in different bedrooms and arrange all social activities through their assistants kind of hate. Your engage—I mean, the party, was the first time I’d seen them together without fighting in over a year. And that was just for show.”

“Why don’t they just get a divorce?” I asked.

She hummed under her breath. “I asked my mom that once. She told me that I would understand when I was an adult.”

“Maybe try asking her now that you’re almost an adult?”

Bex scoffed. “I asked her that a few months ago, Mads.”

“Oh.”

“Dad travels a lot for work, so honestly, it’s not that big a deal.” She finished with my hair and set the brush aside. “Maddie, I’m so sorry for what happened that night.”

Now I turned and shook my head. “Bex, none of that was your fault.”

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